Olympic National Park

The thick foliage of Olympic National Park (PhotoDisc)

Check in at the fully accessible Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles. The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center is also fully accessible. Other centers and ranger stations provide varying levels of accessibility.

Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are available at 9 of the park's 16 campgrounds. Several campgrounds also offer paved campsites and picnic tables with extensions to accommodate wheelchair users. Among the park lodging facilities, Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort has accessible hot spring pools and several accessible cabins. The main lodge building and one room are accessible at Lake Crescent Lodge. Kalaloch Lodge has one accessible cabin.

Several nature trails are paved and wheelchair accessible. Others are gravel, but fairly level and may be accessible with some assistance.

Visitor Centers

Olympic National Park Visitor Center, located in Port Angeles at the northern end of the park. This center serves as the park's primary information and orientation center. Exhibits, maps, guides, and information are all available here.

Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, located 17 miles from the Olympic National Park Visitor Center, features interpretive exhibits, information, guides, and maps. It also serves as the center of several hiking trails and offers spectacular views.

Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, located 15 miles off US 101 in the eastern section of the park, is a tourist hub in the middle of the rainforest. Exhibits and information are available, as well as interpretive and longer trails that will satisfy those for whom a sampling of the rain forest experience is plenty.

Smaller centers are also located at the following ranger stations: Staircase, Storm King (at Lake Crescent), Ozette, and Kalaloch. Each provides exhibits and visitor information.

Campgrounds

Trails

Elwha Area
Madison Falls Trail - This short paved trail winds through a meadow and into the forest where it follows Madison Creek to a 100-foot-high cascade that plummets over basalt cliffs. The area is also know for its pioneer history.

Hurricane Ridge Area
Meadow Loop Trails - Paved trails provide excellent views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca on clear days. Wander through subalpine forests and meadows filled with wildflowers in the summer. This is a good area for seeing black-tailed deer and marmots. There are several relatively flat loop trails approximately 1/2 mile long that are accessible to wheelchair users with assistance.

Hurricane Hill Trail - This paved trail begins at the end of the Hurricane Ridge Road, 1.5 miles beyond the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. The 1.5-mile trail climbs through mountain meadows to the top of Hurricane Hill. The first 0.5 mile is accessible with assistance, but has steep drop-offs and no guard rail.

Mora Area
Rialto Beach - A short, 0.1-mile paved trail leads from the parking lot to coastal forest at the picnic area. The extent of the beach view at the end depends on the amount of driftwood and cobbles washed onto the trail. There is an accessible picnicking site adjacent to the trail.

Kalaloch Area
Ruby Beach - Has an accessible viewpoint overlooking Ruby Beach and Cedar Creek. The parking area has an accessible vault toilet. The 800' trail (with no steps) to the beach is sloping (15 to 20 percent in areas) and ends behind beach logs.

Beach Trail #4 - Has an accessible viewpoint overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The 1,000' gravel trail (with some steps) to the beach is moderately steep (20 percent slope in some areas). The parking area has an accessible vault toilet.

Lake Crescent/Sol Duc Area
Marymere Falls Trail - The trail winds through old-growth forest complete with wildflowers and mushrooms in some seasons on its way to a 90-foot waterfall. The first half mile to an overlook on Barnes Creek is accessible with assistance on a flat gravel and dirt surface, but the trail continuing to the waterfall is not accessible.

Moments in Time Nature Trail - This approximately 1/2-mile loop trail of crushed rock offers nice views of the lake and winds through old-growth forest and former homestead sites. It is located between Olympic Park Institute and Lake Crescent Lodge, and is accessible with assistance. A 1/3-mile trail extends from Storm King Ranger Station parking lot, where an accessible restroom is provided.

Salmon Cascades - A short gravel and dirt path leads from the Sol Duc Road to a wooden platform overlooking the Sol Duc River and small cascades. Leaping salmon can often be seen in the fall.

Hoh Rain Forest Area
Mini-Rain Forest Trail - This flat, 0.25-mile paved trail gives users a taste of the rainforest near the Hoh Visitor Center. Visit a crystal-clear stream and see huge, old-growth Sitka spruce trees.